Vol. 43, Issue 3

Page 1

Vol. 43, Issue #3

The

November 10, 2017

Knightly News

p. 2 Five Minutes with Paige Demba

p. 9 Pros and Cons of Gun Control

p. 12 Volleyball Captures State Title

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi To Speak at Pace Aman Hashim Staff Writer Class of 2020

Photo: Jeff Watts, American University

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, an award winning historian and New York Times best-selling author for his book “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” will speak to upper school students in an assembly on Nov. 16. In addition, Pace has partnered with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights to host an evening event open to the public from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center. According to the National Center, Dr. Kendi, along with moderator Jim Burress with WABE, “will examine the impact of segregation and racism on contemporary Atlanta” that evening. Dr. Kendi, a New York City native and Knicks fanatic, earned his doctoral degree in African American Studies from Temple University in 2010. He has received many research grants and awards from top universities including Duke University, Emory University and Princeton University. Currently

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi will speak at Pace on Nov. 16. Dr. Kendi is a professor of history and international relations and the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. Dr. Kendi won the National Book Award in 2016 for his book “Stamped from the Beginning.” After winning the award, Dr. Kendi said that he wrote the book for the generations of Americans who have been led on

by racist ideas that there is something wrong with black people. The message he wants to convey to Americans is that we need to fight for an equitable America where all racial groups are equal. Dr. Kendi was 34 at the time and was the youngest author to win the award for nonfiction in over 30 years. Dr. Kendi has given many lectures to a range of age groups

ketball in college at Southern Illinois University (SIU). He described SIU as very different from Pace because there were almost 20,000 students, and because of his drastic transition from “a big city like Atlanta to a rural, country kind of town.” After head basketball coach Demetrius Smith asked him to help out at the school and with the team, Mr. Swan thought that returning to Pace would be a great way to get back into coaching. “I’ll have lunch with some of my teachers and being able to sit on that side of the room versus being on the regular side of the cafeteria has been interesting,” said Mr. Swan. “I’ve always had a really good relationship with pretty much all of my teachers so it’s been a smooth transition back.” Ms. Lattouf, the Associate Director of the ICGL, was a very involved student during her time at Pace. Her primary commitments were varsity tennis and

Student Council, serving as student body president her senior year. She was given the senior superlative of Ms. Pace Academy. Ms. Lattouf attended Emory for college, where she was also super involved and had leadership roles around campus. “At first I didn’t want to go to Emory because it’s so close to Pace, and I wanted to feel like I was leaving and growing,” she said. “Then I realized that Decatur is so different from Buckhead that I really was going to a new place.” Ms. Lattouf returned to Pace last school year after initially applying to be in a consulting position, but then a position working for the ICGL opened. “After understanding what it was, it seemed like the perfect transition, and it has been,” she said. “At first it was super weird to see my former teachers and call them by their first name.”

from high school students to adults. In a talk he gave to the students of the Taft School in Connecticut he explained his notion of a “racist idea.” “I ended up defining a racist idea as any idea that suggests a racial group is superior or inferior to another racial group in any way,” said Dr. Kendi. He conducted years of research and study to develop his ideas and thoughts on racism, specifically racism against the black population. Later in his speech he reasoned that there are two ways to explain the disparity between two groups, one being that the winning team is superior to the losing team. The second reason is that the rules favor one group and not the other. “If we relate that to race in America, whites historically have been on the winning and living end of American society” due to discrimination, he said. Pace Director of Diversity and Inclusion Joanne Brown is a fan of Dr. Kendi and the ideas he has to share. “Dr. Kendi takes a very unique and non-emotional approach to the conversation of racist ideology,” said Mrs. Brown. “He really dissects this notion of racism in a histori-

cal context.” Mrs. Brown has watched many of his lectures online and is excited to see him in person and hear him speak to the Pace community. Many Pace faculty members have read “Stamped from the Beginning,” including English teachers Ricks Carson and Emily Washburn, history teacher Christine Carter and J.B. Fuqua Speech and Debate Chair Shuntá Jordan. Several other teachers are in the process of reading the book, and Ms. Jordan has started a “Stamped from the Beginning” book group that held its first meeting on Nov. 9. Dr. Carter is interested in learning more about racism and racist ideology. She plans to integrate the theme into her class discussions to allow students to share their opinions. “I personally like the way that [Dr. Kendi] looks at some of the events that I studied for many years,” said Dr. Carter. “I would definitely recommend [‘Stamped from the Beginning’]. It is a helpful and thought provoking way of looking at some of the stories in American history that one might think they are already familiar with, as he approaches them in a different way.”

Pace Alumni Return to Begin Careers Jill Rawls

Staff Writer Class of 2019

(Continued on page 3)

Photos: Ryan Vihlen

The paths of four recent Pace Academy graduates have led them back to their alma mater for jobs. These alumni are Josh Swan from the Class of 2011, and Zeena Lattouf, Hayley Shoji and Carter Baldovski from the Class of 2012. Mr. Swan, who played football and basketball in high school, has returned as a substitute teacher and an assistant coach for both ninth grade and varsity boys basketball. Mr. Swan was also part of Pace’s very first football team when he was an eighth grader. “Playing sports opened up a lot of doors for friendships and connections,” said Mr. Swan. “Pace created this environment of family and community and just having a good time.” Mr. Swan continued to play bas-

(Clockwise from top left) Josh Swan, Zeena Lattouf, Carter Baldovski and Haley Shoji are pictured in their Pace senior photos.

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